Softball Sails By Mitchell College With NECC Doubleheader Sweep

Box Scores 

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College sophomore pitcher Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) tossed a combined 14 innings, fanned nine batters and hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the eighth inning of game one to help lift the Blazers to a doubleheader sweep of Mitchell College in Friday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) softball action at Cheryl R. Condon Field.

With the two wins, Elms evens its overall record to 15-15, 12-2 in NECC action, while Mitchell falls to 20-12 on the season, 12-4 in league play.

Game One – Elms 3, Mitchell 2 (8 innings)

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning and Elms freshman first baseman Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) standing on second, sophomore left fielder Marlene DiRaimo (Cranston, R.I.) doubled to give the Blazers two runners in scoring position for freshman third baseman Rachel Butt (Agawam, Mass.) who delivered an RBI sacrifice bunt to even the score at 2-2. Sophomore Jen Killion (Cambridge, Mass.) replaced DiRaimo at third, and then came home with the winning run when Hampton lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, giving Elms a thrilling 3-2 win.

Hampton completed her ninth win of the season with a six-strikeout, eight inning effort to improve to 9-5 overall.

Mitchell starter Kristina Torres (Groton, Conn.) suffered the loss, striking out five batters in 7.2 innings of work in the circle.

The Mariners started the scoring in the top of the fourth when Jen Bordonaro (Winsted, Conn.) reached on an infield error and eventually came full circle on an Elms miscue, giving Mitchell a 1-0 lead.

The Blazers answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Butt got on base with a bunt single and then came full circle two batters later on an RBI single by junior designated player Destinee Meeker (Bantam, Conn.) to tie the score at 1-1.

After a scoreless seventh frame, Mitchell went ahead in the top of the eighth when Person moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and then scored on a passed ball, giving the Mariners a slim cushion of 2-1 before Elms responded with its comeback.

Game Two – Elms 8, Mitchell 0 (6 innings)

Leading 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the Blazers erupted for five runs on the strength of RBI singles from sophomore shortstop Jenna Lipscomb (Cambridge, Mass.) and senior second baseman Ally Graffum (Ipswich, Mass.). Hampton also doubled in a run, while Meeker drilled a two-run single to center field to give Elms an 8-0 mercy rule victory.

Hampton continued her dominance in the circle, hurling a three-hit, three strikeout six-inning shutout to pick up her 10^th win of the season.

Mitchell's Marissa Thomas (New London, Conn.) suffered the loss for the Mariners.

Lipscomb and Butt connected for three hits each, while Butt scored a pair of runs in the winning effort. Graffum, DiRaimo and senior catcher Tiffany Williams (Berlin, Conn.) added two hits each in the winning effort.

Elms scored twice in the bottom of the second when DiRaimo reached on a base hit to center field and then scored on an infield error. Williams later singled in Butt with the second run of the contest giving the Blazers a 2-0 edge.

The Blazers tacked on a run in the bottom of the third when DiRaimo drove in Graffum on an RBI fielder's choice, lifting Elms' advantage to 3-0.

Elms held Mitchell to three hits in each contest, while the Blazers smashed a total of 22 during the two games.

Butt went 4 for 6 with three runs scored for the day, while Lipscomb and DiRaimo finished with three hits on the day.

Elms concludes regular season action with an NECC doubleheader at Becker College on Saturday, May 1. First-pitch of game one is set for 12:00 p.m. in Leicester, Mass.